


Do You Like Dragons?

by susiephalange



Category: Paper Towns - John Green
Genre: Dragons, F/M, Fluff, Soul-Searching, Tattoo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-21
Updated: 2016-05-21
Packaged: 2018-06-09 18:06:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6917659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/susiephalange/pseuds/susiephalange
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Senior year is coming to a close, and to clear your head, you take a drive. Didn't expect to find the guy at the gas station cute, but who's to know? Maybe endings are only the beginning.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Do You Like Dragons?

**Author's Note:**

> ♥‿♥ Ansel Elgort

Today was a day just the yesterday. Just like a day every week that doesn't seem like anything special every time it came around, like a day spent in a limbo where everything either sucked major ass or had a general "meh" attitude to it. Today, however, wasn't spent in class like the past years of high school, or scrolling on your laptop through a mediocre website for some meaning in life but...driving.

Just days before your prom you were still set (much to the chagrin of your friends and family) on going stag with a group to the dance. Dress? Check. Hair? Stuff professionally styling it. Nails? Forget it. Sure, it was a big thing, but you couldn't see the point in looking amazing for one night when you felt confident to look the same every day.

Back to driving.

Whilst the hullabaloo of the prom fever took hold of your usually calm pals and their dates, you couldn't help but take the dinky small car your dad had leant you to get away before you blew up in their faces. And now, sitting behind the wheel, tuning the radio in for a song that resembled good music and reception from the station at the red light, you were glad to get away.

There was no way you could be sane around rush. Around pointless and confusing madness that somehow made sense to others.

"What does it take to get some good music around here?" You mused, fiddling with the knob. Giving up on the hassle, the radio finally settled to play one of those popular songs that somehow was always on - just as it turned green.

For a good hour you drove around town - looking at the places you had grown up, watched change over time. The lake, a great picnic stop. The park, which had more small children than dogs to be comfortable. The school - prom in two days! The homemade countdown billboard via the prom committee read outside - thank god that was over. The -

"Oh crap," you hissed, realising what lane you'd changed into.

Somehow in that nostalgia you'd managed to get into the freeway, and were now following a minivan seemingly full of kids your age. As their indicator signalled a stop for the gas station, you glanced down to your car's gauge. Empty? You'd filled it the other day!

"Gas guzzler," you muttered disapprovingly, and followed the white minivan into the gas station.

It wasn't too far away from your town to be considered a part of the next county over, but seeing how you'd never really road tripped (unless you count that time years ago when your family had a trip from hell that - ) you had no reason to come to this place to fill up.

"Go, go, go!" You heard the boy with an afro chant as he pumped the gas into the minivan. You watched as four other kids ran out - a scrawny blonde who went straight to the rest rooms and a guy with dark hair, two girls, one with long blonde hair and the other with tight brown curls, which all rushed around the gas station store grabbing things.

All this happened when you stood at the pump.

"You guys on a timer or something?" You asked the boy.

He glanced your way, looking up from the timer on his iPhone. "Yeah, sort of. Got to catch someone before it's too late."

You nodded, "Sounds kinda cool."

It was then the boy's timer went off. "Time to go!" He yelled out.

You heard the clerk behind the gas ask for paper or plastic bags, but the group inside had already paid and were running back to the car. As they bumbled around with boarding the minivan, you waved to the boy and girl with brown hair. "Good luck with the quest!"

The pair of them thanked you with a broad smile, and drove away faster than Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson in movie franchise about fast cars.

Click-click.

"Finally, full tank," you murmured to yourself, hanging the pump back in its place. "Hopefully it will take a week at most until you don't run empty again," you chastened your car. As much as you loved your baby, there was nothing you hated more than wasting so much money on making her go. Scooping your wallet and keys into your hands, you paced into the gas station.

"Was that or was that not the craziest thing you'd just seen?"

You turned, and saw the guy behind the register, giving you the most bemused look. He had that face that looked like no other; familiar, almost. Maybe he went to your school? He did look your age. You had to think, what did he say? God, he was so cute, what would you say to avoid looking like a total idiot?

You nodded.

That's one way to come off as super shy, and/or stuck up, you berated yourself mentally.

"Just paying for the petrol today?" He asked simply.

Nodding again, noticed his name badge. Mason. Cute name."Yeah, just the gas." You bit your lip,"Please."

He grinned. "You're the most normal person I've had come through here, you know that?"

You couldn't help but laugh. "Really? Who could be stranger than those guys?"

Ruffling his hair, you noticed a tattoo on his upper arm of a stylised dragon. "Ha, well...every six weeks the same biker gang come through - the Demon Kitties, I once had a guy named Ron Dunn come in with a rucksack and a wild eagle on his shoulder...some cosplayers who were convinced they were actually their characters..." Mason laughed, gesturing to the petrol bowser that just had the minivan, "and then those guys."

"Wow," you chuckled, "That's amazing. You should write a book or something with people like that in it." You shrugged, and added, "I mean, if you want."

"Maybe I should," He smirked.

You motioned to the register with your wallet, "Uh, how much do I owe you?"

"An even sixty dollars today." Mason pushed a few buttons into the computer. "Cash or card?"

You dug around in your wallet, and drew out the debit card your summer jobs had helped contribute toward.

"There," you muttered, swiping your card, and doing a little dance internally when it was accepted. "I, uh, thank you."

Mason grinned. "So, do you want the receipt for it?"

You blushed. "I love your tattoo," you blurted, and instantly wished you'd never be able to speak again. Talk about mortified! "I mean, yeah. Yes. I'd love the receipt."

Mason's smile widened. "Do you like dragons?" He stretched his arm over his head, so the dragon tattoo was more visible.

You nodded.

"Here is your receipt," he smiled, pushing it across the countertop. "Drive safe! And have a great day."

You tore the top half of the receipt, and rummaging in your bag, drew out a pen. And scrawled the digits of your phone number down and your name. And passed it to him.

"I do love dragons," you managed to say without stuttering, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear, and beaming to him, retreated back to your car to do a victory dance. "Call me!"

**Author's Note:**

> If you have any requests, find me on Tumblr at @susiephalange, or [@phalangewrites](https://phalangewrites.tumblr.com/request_conditions) ʕ·ᴥ·ʔ✿


End file.
